So you’ve been bitten by a snake. You need to act quickly. There’s a hippopotamus over there. You know what to do.
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Pedanius Dioscorides, a physician who lived in Roman-ruled Greece in the first century AD, was a pioneer in the field of pharmacology. He listed hippopotamus testicles as a treatment for snakebites.
Dioscorides’s comprehensive pharmacology guidebook, De Materia Medica, was basically an early version of the Physician’s Desk Reference. It was used in Europe well into the 1800s. I am unable to find an English translation, but there is a brief description of the testicular usage in historian John M. Riddle’s 2011 book about the ancient doctor.
Note: if hippo testicles aren’t available, Dioscorides also suggests beaver castoreum and weasel meat. You have options.
-via Aelfred the Great | Photo: Mertie
Source: neatorama